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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 J. HAWTHORN & J. P. LIDDELL. APPARATUS FOR WASHING PRINTERS BLANKETS.

No. 603,638. Patented May 10,1898.

WITN ESSES. NVENTORS.

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J. HAWTHORN & J. P. LIDDELL. APPARATUS FOR WASHING PRINTERS BLANKETS.

PatentedMy 10, 1898.

. INVENT RS. W|TNE$SES. flmM. 4 M

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.)

JOHN HAWTHORN AND JOHN PEMBERTON LIDDELL, OF NEW'IOVVN, NEW

MILLS, ENGLAND.

APPARATUS FOR WASHING PRINTERS BLANKETS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 603,638, dated May 10, 1898.

Application filed July so, 1896.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN HAWTHORN andJoHN PEMBERTON LIDDELL, subjects of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Newtown, New Mills, near Stockport, in the county of Chester, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Washing and Cleansing Calico-Printers Blanketing, of which the following is a specification.

Our said invention relates to improvements in apparatus for washing and cleansing calico-printers blanketing.

The invention refers to that class of apparatus in which one side only of the blanketing is washed, so as to save the blanketing from unnecessary saturation, and thus efiect economy in drying.

According to our invention that side of the blanketing which is subjected to the washing operation is liberallytreated with water by the aid of swilling-brushes or their equivalents, while at the same time by our improved arrangements less water is used or wasted than formerly, and the supply is so arranged that the freshly-introduced water meets the blanketing as it leaves the apparatus, while the foul water encounters the blanketing as it enters the machine. Thus the water is used to the best advantage.

Our invention will be more easily under-- stood by a reference to the annexed two sheets of drawings, which illustrate our invention.

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of our improved apparatus fashioned with an inclined trough or trough-bottom. Fig. 2 is a similar view with a horizontal trough.

In carrying our invention into effect in the manner shown by Fig. 1 we provide an in clined oblong trough or casing a to contain or support the brushes 1) b b and backingrollers c. In the said inclined casing we mount two, three, or any greater number of backing-rollers c c c and also guiding or diverting rollers d, around which the blanketing 6 is carried as it passes through the ma-- chine. These backing and carrying rollers c o 0 lie successively at about the same rela- Serial No. 601,119. (No model.)

tive angle as the floor of the apparatus. Above the last backing-roller c we mount a drawing-cylinder f, around which the blanketing is led as it leaves the machine. The other backing and guiding rollers are not driven, but this last drawing-cylinder f is positively driven, so as to draw the blanketing 6 through the machine, the strain on the blanketing keeping it close against the backing-rollers cc 0 and so presenting it under favorable conditions to the revolving scrubbing and swilling brushes 5 b 19 From the drawing-cylinder the blanketing is led over guide-rollers g g to the ordinary drying-cylinders, which do not appear in the drawings. WVe place the first revolving swilling and scrubbing brush 1) beneath the first backing-roller c, and we also place the swilling and scrubbing brushes 1) 1) between the other two backing-rollers 0' 0 the said swilling-brushes being so situated as to act simultaneously at both sides upon the blanketing as it is stretched around the rollers. Thus each brush after the firstpracticallyperforms the work of two. A final cleansing and moisture-removing brush h revolves in contact with the blanketing as it passes around the last backing-roller o of the series, this latter brush h revolving at a considerably-increased speed as compared with the other brushes. As to the distribution of the water-supply We preferably arrange spurt-pipes 2' '6 between the first and second and-the third backingrollers. The water from the first spurt-piped -is dashed on the blanketing e as it'passes around the first roller 0 and removes the bulk of the color and matter which has been loosened and already partly removed by the swilling and scrubbing brushes 1) b. The water so dashed on the blanketing falls into the bottom of the casing and is collected in a trough 70, within which the intermediate 9o swilling and scrubbing brush 7) works. This swilling-brush 6 makes lavish use of the water in the trough is, raising it and dashing it against the blanketing e, with which it is in contact. The water overflowing from this 5 latter trough k enters a lower troughk, in

which the first swilling and scrubbing brush b revolves, also applying the water to the blanketing. From this last trough the water finally overflows and escapes by an outlet Z.

In addition to the two swilling-troughs 7t and We might have a third trough k beneath the brush 12 as indicated in dotted lines in the drawings; but in practice we prefer to dispense with this additional trough. The said troughs, compartments, or pools k k are conveniently formed by partitions 0, extending across the casing and secured by angleirons 0; but they may be formed in any other suitable manner.

The progress of the blanketin g through the machine is as follows: Entering from the printing-machine in the direction of the arrow it passes around the first backing-roller 0. Here it encounters the first swilling and scrubbing brush 1), which dips into the trough 70, and which removes the great bulk of the dirt and color from the surface of the blanketing. In practice we find that this brush removes and projects the bulk of the dirt on the blanket against the lower end of the easing, thus avoiding excessive fouling of the water in the trough 7c. The blanketing in its further progress around the same backing roller '0 is next acted upon by the one side of the intermediate revolving swillin gand scrubbing brush Z7, the latter brush dipping into the trough 7t above the first trough,and which receives the Water falling from the s'purt pipe 'i and also the water running from the upper end of the machine. The said swilling and scrubbing brush 11 operates on the blanketing not only as it ascends to the diverting or guiding cylinderd, but also as it descends and passes around the succeeding backing-roller c, the brush acting simultaneously against both backing-rollers. In the same manner the blauketing in its continued progress through the apparatus is next subjected to the action of the brush b which operates on the blanketing against both the rollers c and 0 The spurt-pipe ialso douches the blanketing above the brush 12 The blanketin g at this point being almost completely cleansed, the douche from the spurt-pipe 2" gives a final swill to the surface of the blanketin g. Lastly the blanketin g as it proceeds around the roller 0 is subjected to the rapidly-revolving moisture-removing brush h,which removes all surplus moisture from the face of the blanketing and renders it much more easily and quickly dried by the drying-cylinders.

The swilling and scrubbing brushes 5 b b are revolved at a speed sufflcient to exercise a scrubbing and swilling effect upon the blanketing, but not so fast as to throw the water out of the troughs into which they dip. The water is lifted from the trough by the revolving brushes and applied plentifully to the blanketing, the same water being used again and again, so that we use the water thoroughly and none is wasted. As the water from the trough above overflows into the trough beneath it in turn overflows and allows the foul water to run to waste. There may be one, two, or any greater number of swilling and scrubbing brushes with corresponding water-troughs, but we consider two sufficient. The water from the spurt-pipes keeps the troughs full and plays upon the blanketing as it passes'around the backing-rollers. The spurt-pipe 2" gives a final swill with clear water to the blanketing, and then follows the action of the brush b beneath, and lastly that of the more rapidly revolving and final moistureremoving brush, which wipes the surface of the blanketing free of moisture before it passes around the drawing-roller and then away from the apparatus. We might employ only one spurt-pipeviz., the spurt-pipe t in which case the whole apparatus would be served from this single supply, and by arranging the backing-rollers, as described, at successively lower angles and providing the aforesaid overflow-compartments and swilling and scrubbing brushes the water is used again and again, the fouler water meeting the fouler portions of the blanketin g, as hereinbefore described. We might, however, as aforesaid, multiply both spurt-pipes and cleansing-brushes.

In Fig. 2 the trough a, instead of being arranged at an incline, as in Fig. 1, is set horizontally. In other respects the apparatus is almost identical with that shown in Fig. 1. The water from the spurt-pipes 7; plays upon the blanketing e as it passes around the backing-rollers c and falls into the trough 10 The swilling and scrubbing brush b dips into the water in the trough 70 and swills and scrubs the blanketing. From the trough k the Water overflows over the partition 0 into the trough 70, into which the swilling and scrubbing brush 6 dips. This brush swills and scrubs the blanketing (2 against both the backing-rollers c and c. From the trough 7c the water fiows over the next partition 0 into the trough is, in which the brush 1) revolves, swilling and scrubbing the blanketing as it passes around the first backing-roller c. The water then overflows into the end of the easing and is led away through the outlet Z. As shown in the drawings, the partitions 0 are made successively lower toward the end at which the blanketing enters, so as to let the water overflow from trough to trough, and to compensate for the successive lowering of the water-levels in the compartments or pools 70 7c, and k we successively increase the diameter of the swilling and scrubbing brushes b 1), and b. We might also, to preserve the same surface speed in all, drive the said swilling and scrubbing brushes at different speeds,corresponding to their diameters. In other respects the construction and operation of the apparatus are precisely as indicated in Fig. 1.

What we claim as our invention is The improved apparatus for washing calico-printers blanketing consisting of the inclined casing a, furnished with overflow com- IIO partments or pools, swiliing and scrubbing In witness whereof We have hereuntoseb brushes dipping inpo the said compartments, our hands in presence of two witnesses. backing and guiding rollers to carry the JOHN HAWTHORN.

blanketin spurt-pipes to supply water or 1 5 other clea i l sing fluid, and a moisture-remov- JOHN PEMBERV'I ON LIDDELL' ing brush, all arranged combined and acting Witnesses: substantially as hereinbefore set forth and as JOSHUA ENTWISLE, illustrated. RICHARD IBBERSON. 

